Orange County Navy SEAL Awarded Posthumous Medal of Honor

On Tuesday, President Bush will award the Medal of Honor to a Navy SEAL from Orange County. The commendation is being given posthumously. Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor was killed in Iraq in September of 2006 while shielding his comrades from enemy fire. KPCC's Steven Cuevas has his story.

Steven Cuevas: To win a spot on the Navy's elite Special Warfare Corp, Michael Monsoor endured weeks of punishing training at a SEAL boot camp near San Diego. It took two tries, but he finally made the cut. No one was surprised. After all, he was already an Argonaut.

Kris Van Hook: I never, I never 'til you just said it, connected the two! That he actually was an Argonaut! (laughs)

Cuevas: Kris Van Hook coached Monsoor's high school football team, the Garden Grove Argonauts. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts were an elite band of seafaring warriors recruited by Jason to seize the Golden Fleece.

Van Hook: He was definitely a battler, you know. And everybody's asking me, well, you know, "Give me a good anecdote," and it's kinda hard with Mike 'cause he wasn't a big talker on the field. You knew he was going to be successful in life because whether or not he was the star, he was going to go out there and play as hard as he could every play, and the fact again that he cared about his teammates. He always put his teammates above himself. For him it was, you know, "Do we win on game night?" And obviously that showed up in how he conducted himself when he went into the military.

Cuevas: On the day he was killed, Monsoor was pinned down on a rooftop in the city of Ramadi. According to the Navy's account, a grenade struck the 25-year-old petty officer in the chest and tumbled across the rooftop. Monsoor shouted a warning, and threw himself onto the grenade an instant before it exploded. The action cost him his life, but spared the lives of several Navy SEALs and Iraqi soldiers. Seth Stone was Monsoor's commanding officer.

Seth Tone: Tragically, Mike gave his life for my men, so they could return home to their families. Mike and the Monsoor family are members of the Naval Special Warfare Community. We're deeply indebted to them for allowing us to serve alongside their brother who's a, whom we all strive to be like. (sniffs)

James Monsoor: I don't know what defines a hero.

Cuevas: Michael Monsoor's parents declined to be interviewed for this story. But shortly after his death, his mother Sally and his brother James appeared on ABC's "Nightline."

James Monsoor: The actions that my brother took, I how do you argue against that? I mean, laying down your life for your brother-at-arms can survive and live another day.
Sally Monsoor (crying): The other two men that were injured that day said that he had a determined look on his face. And I think with Michael, he knew every single one of those men had families and children.

Man: A little more, a couple more people here.
Sara Monsoor: Oh, yeah!
Man: Sara, are you gonna go first?
Sara Monsoor: I am. I'm gonna go first, so...
Cuevas: At a news conference last week in Los Angeles, Michael Monsoor's older sister, Sara, says she knew being a SEAL was inherently more dangerous than other jobs in the military. The last time her brother shipped out, she had a premonition.

Sara Fernandez: I don't think any of us really felt like we would see him again. When I had heard this, it was almost– it was like a puzzle piece of Mike. Like that last piece had been placed. Like his job was done, and I think it's very fitting for him, in that way. I think it's very appropriate that, that it happened that way.

Cuevas: Back at Garden Grove High, baseball coach Roberto Cepeda is corralling his players into the dugout after a long practice. When he was a student here, the stocky Cepeda was one of Monsoor's football teammates. He says his friend's story is a valuable life lesson to share with his players, and his students. Cepeda is also a history teacher.

Roberto Cepeda: Standing up for what he believed in, that's the American dream. Doing what you want to do, he wanted to be a Navy SEAL. You know, being a Navy SEAL that comes through. You know he lived his dream. You know, I'm trying to get my students to understand that. Now other people get a chance to live theirs.

Navy SEAL: Mike Monsoor!

Cuevas: At a memorial held for Michael Monsoor in Iraq last winter, there were no bagpipes, or rifle salutes. The service concluded with just a simple hail and farewell from his fellow SEALs.

Navy SEALs (shouting): Hooo yah! Michael Monsoor!

Cuevas: On Tuesday, Michael Monsoor's family will accept the Medal of Honor on his behalf. And in May, Garden Grove High School will dedicate a memorial in his honor.